RFP Opportunity
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets · US — New York · State government — agriculture and tourism
Marketing and Advertising for New York State County and Local Fairs
New York State's Department of Agriculture and Markets wants one agency to run a three-season, roughly $1M-a-year statewide campaign driving attendance at 50+ county and local agricultural fairs.
At a glance
- Scope
- Research strategic messaging (including surveys of fairgoers and non-fairgoers), identify regional media markets, then conceive, produce, buy and place a statewide campaign with geo-targeted regional advertising. Manage the existing FindYourFair.com site and build on the 2024–2025 campaigns. Also promote exhibitor participation, support collateral at individual fairgrounds, report KPIs at least monthly, and adjust strategy monthly. All work product belongs to the State.
- Key deliverables
- Annual statewide advertising plan (first within 20 days of contract; later ones by Dec 1 each year)
- Pre- and post-campaign research and fairgoer surveys
- TV, radio, print, billboard, digital display and native advertising
- Geo-targeted regional ads tied to the statewide campaign
- Collateral: flyers, brochures, signage, banners, transit ads
- Management of FindYourFair.com
- Monthly metrics and budget reports
- Post-campaign recap presentation each season
- Budget
- ~$1M/year (min. $700K media) for 3 seasons
- Contract
- Single award; Jan 1, 2027 – Sep 1, 2029 (three fair seasons), subject to annual appropriation. Paid hourly for personnel plus commission on media and production; requires AG and OSC approval.
- Key dates
- RFP issued: Oct 27, 2026
- Questions due: Nov 10, 2026, 3:00 PM ET
- Answers/addenda posted: Nov 20, 2026
- Proposals due: Dec 1, 2026, 3:00 PM ET
- Bid opening: Dec 7, 2026
- Contract start: Jan 1, 2027
- Response deadline: December 1, 2026 (26 days)
- Eligibility
- Authorized to do business in New York State
- At least five consecutive years in advertising, with $750K+ annual billing in at least two of them (audited financials or similar)
- Three verifiable references for similar work
- Three multimedia campaign case studies with metrics (no prior work for NYS Ag & Markets)
- Must meet the State's insurance requirements and standard contract clauses
- MWBE and SDVOB participation forms required
- Services
- Paid media, Brand & creative, Research & strategy, Digital marketing
Why this could be interesting
- Real money: about $1M a year for three years, with at least $700K a year in media
- Technical score is 80% of the total; the proposed campaign alone is worth 40 points, so strategy beats price
- There is a foundation to build on: FindYourFair.com and two prior campaigns
- Fun brief: fairs, livestock, midways and fried dough across the whole state
- Hard-copy-only submission with sealed envelopes and USB drives. Plan shipping time.
Best suited for: Full-service or media-led agencies with real media-buying muscle (TV, radio, OOH, digital) across New York's regional markets, tourism or event-attendance case studies, and the paperwork stamina for a state procurement.
About this RFP
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets wants one agency to run a statewide campaign promoting the 50+ county and local agricultural fairs that operate July through early October. The goal is more attendance (including people visiting multiple fairs), a wider geographic draw, more diverse fairgoers, and more exhibitor entries in agricultural shows and competitions.
The agency will research messaging (surveying fairgoers and non-fairgoers), pick regional media markets, and conceive, produce and place TV, radio, print, billboard, digital display, native and social advertising with geo-targeted regional tie-ins. It also manages the existing FindYourFair.com site and builds on the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. Fairs drew 2.9 million attendees in 2025.
The budget is about $1,000,000 a year for three fair seasons (2027–2029), with at least $700,000 a year going to media before commission. The contract runs January 1, 2027 to September 1, 2029. Scoring is 80% technical and 20% cost. Proposals must be mailed or hand-delivered in hard copy; electronic submissions are not accepted.
Summary by Agency Field Guide. The buyer’s own documents and instructions govern; check them before you respond.